


Love Admittance

by Jason_Grayson



Category: Kubo and the Two Strings (2016), ParaNorman (2012)
Genre: Fluff, Love Confessions, M/M, Nightmares, Self-Esteem Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-12
Updated: 2017-11-12
Packaged: 2019-02-01 05:12:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12698058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jason_Grayson/pseuds/Jason_Grayson
Summary: The boys finally say I love you to each other... Just at different times.





	1. Kubo

Norman stared at him. He had to have misheard, right? Kubo didn’t just say what he thought he said. Norman had a tendency to get lost in thought, he probably just missed something he said beforehand. In fact, come to think of it, he remembered before this…  _ incident  _ that may or may not have happened, he was thinking about what a lovely day it was. They were sitting on a blanket under their favorite tree that they used to love playing on when they were kids. The lake looked beautiful with the sun reflecting off of it. It was all so picturesque and perfect and- there he went again. Thoughts getting off track. Blinking to get back in focus, he blurted out, “What?”

Kubo looked confused as he stared back. “I… love you. I kind of thought you knew.” He wasn’t necessarily great with subtlety. He knew he had to have blushed around the other boy more times than he could count. Not to mention all the pathetic attempts to be near him, hang out with him, touch him. In the words of Coraline, Norman would have to be unnaturally oblivious to not realize. 

It seemed though that he was in fact unnaturally oblivious as Norman had no idea. His eyes widened. So he hadn’t misheard, then. It took a bit of flailing about before he spluttered out, “ _ Why? _ ”

“Not exactly the response someone wants after admitting they love a person but-"

“I-I’m sorry but it just makes no sense to me! You love me?  _ You love me?”  _ He grabbed onto Kubo’s shoulders and gave him a little shake.

Kubo met his crazed, confused gaze with a shocked, concerned one. “Yes?” If he had known Norman was going to break down, he would have stayed silent on the subject.

“Kubo, you know me. How on earth could you love me? I'm nerdy. I'm weird. I'm a loner, loser, dork, freak. Take your pick, really! I-I’ve been called all of them.” The memories behind each of those words stung. He always tried to forget them, but sometimes, they just refused to stay away. “You, on the other hand. You’re brave. You’re friendly. You’re likable, caring,  _ incredible _ .” His hands slid from Kubo’s shoulders as his gaze fell down to his hands, now fidgeting with nothing to hold onto. “You… you could do so much better than- than me.”

“No. No I couldn’t.” Grabbing onto Norman’s hands to stop their fidgeting, he ducked his head to try to catch his eyes as well. “You never give yourself enough credit! You paint me as this perfect person, but trust me, I am far from perfect. I have… issues, Norman.” That was putting it lightly. “I have things I haven’t told you about. For instance, you haven’t asked me about my eye.” He pointed to his eye patch.

Norman shrugged helplessly. “I thought it would be rude of me to ask. That you would come to me when you were ready. Tell me when you’re ready.” The last thing he wanted to do was push him in anyway.

“And that’s one of the reasons I love you! You’re a considerate person who puts others wants and needs ahead of your own. That’s admirable.” He lifted up Norman’s hands, pressing light kisses to them. “We all have our little… quirks. The trick is just finding someone who loves you despite them.” A considerate look passed his face as he continued, “Or because of them too, I guess. Like your ability? Power, curse, whatever. I personally think it’s really… cool. Sets you apart from other people. Makes you unique. I love that about you.”

Norman felt his lips quirk up in a small smile as he finally lifted his gaze back up to meet Kubo’s. “You… you really think all that… about me?” At the other boy’s slight nod, Norman’s heart started pounding wildly, and maybe a bit out of rhythm. He was positive that wasn’t good for it, but he didn’t much care at the moment. He leaned forward, having their lips meet in a soft kiss.

Kubo let his eye flutter closed as he kissed back. He lowered their hands before one of them hit their faces on them, which he could definitely see happening. After that, he just let himself focus on the feeling of Norman’s lips against his. Focus on the emotions filling the kiss - love, adoration, admiration. It was all simply perfect. 

The kiss ended slowly as the two pulled away from each other with matching grins, and pink faces. Kubo’s slowly left him though as he registered something. Norman never said it back. His lips twitched into a slight frown.

Noticing this sudden shift, Norman ran his thumb over Kubo’s knuckles as he quietly asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Y-you kind of didn’t say it back? Which you don’t need to! I can totally wait for it, I understand completely if you need time.”

Norman paled as he played back over their conversation. Cringing, he opened his mouth to say it back, “I-" but nothing came out. He wanted to say it back. Why couldn’t he say it back? He knew he loved Kubo. So why couldn’t he say it?  _ I love you!  _ “I- I-"

“Hey, it’s okay! Really, you don’t need to say it back.” He really needed to stop accidentally breaking Norman.

“But you don’t understand. I want to say it. I do. Just, for some reason, the words are refusing to come out?” Why? Why was this happening? Then, it hit him. He was worried that as soon as he said those three little words, it would be revealed that this was all some fantasy. A dream. He knew that was ridiculous, of course this was real. Still, he couldn’t help the lingering fear.  _ The freak thought he actually found love! Can you believe it? _ As soon as he said it back, Kubo would be gone, for one reason or another. 

Kubo noticed the unfocused glint in Norman’s eyes, so he gently brought a hand up to cup his cheek. He began rubbing small circles with his thumb as he softly asked, “Norman? Are you still with me?”

The soft voice snapped him out of his thoughts as he focused back on Kubo. The gentle hold on his hand, and the soft motions on his cheek helped to ground him back to reality. He offered a small smile. “S-sorry. I'm fine. Got lost in thought a bit there, but I'm alright.”

“Okay… if you’re sure…” He gave him a skeptical once over, but eventually relented with a sigh. If Norman said he was fine, there wasn’t much Kubo could do about it. “Look, you really don’t have to say it back, okay? You take all of the time you need. I’d rather you say it and mean it, then tell me just for the sake of telling me.”

 

Norman searched Kubo’s face, but found nothing besides sincerity and love shining back at him. He was going to give him all the time he needed, go as slow as he needed. As he leaned forward to initiate another kiss, he didn’t think he could ever be more in love.


	2. Norman

A few nights later, the two were tangled up in Norman’s bed, fast asleep. They had just gone to bed after a day of hanging out with friends, goofing off, and just enjoying each other’s company. It was a pretty fantastic day, by all accounts, and it was shaping up to be a peaceful night. That is, until the nightmares started.

Kubo was no stranger to nightmares, mostly about his grandfather trying to kill him and the people he loved. They all ended the same, with him springing up in bed, breathing heavily, shaking with fear, and a cold sweat coating him. Tonight was different though. Tonight Norman was in it.

It started out how his nightmares usually started out. He began whimpering, tossing and turning. On this night though, he also began thrashing about.

_His grandfather had found him. Except he found him with Norman. And now, the Moon King was holding his boyfriend hostage._

_“We could have avoided all of this, Kubo. You could have just given me your eye, and joined me! Instead, you listened to your mother.” His grandfather spat out the words in a disgusted tone._

_“This is between you and me! Leave Norman out of this!” He flicked his gaze between the Moon King and Norman with a pleading look on his face._

_Norman stared at him, terrified as the hands on his shoulders tightened their grip. The Moon King smirked as he said, “Now, now, Kubo. You want to deny him this fun? So selfish.”_

_“Kubo, don't listen to him! Just-" Norman glared up at the Moon King as a hand was slapped over his mouth._

_“The grown ups are talking!” He lifted his gaze back to his grandson. “Some people can be very rude. Let’s get back to business, shall we? You give me your eye, join me, and I let your little boyfriend here run free. Or, I could kill him. Your choice.”_

_Both options were, of course, terrible. He couldn’t join his grandfather, but he also couldn’t let Norman die. He was never even supposed to get involved with Kubo’s messed up family. Heart pounding, he started to panic. He had to think of a way out of this. “Okay.” He glanced at Norman apologetically. “You can take my eye. I’ll join you.”_

_Norman was yelling, though it was still muffled by the Moon King’s hand, eyes wide and frantic._

_Kubo’s grandfather began laughing. “Love. It’s always a weakness.” He let go of Norman, but Kubo’s aunts were quick to grab hold of him. Before Kubo could even blink, Norman was laying on the ground in a crumpled heap, dead. Kubo let out a pained cry as he saw the life leave Norman’s eyes. The Moon King stalked over to Kubo, devious grin on his face._

_“You said you would let him go!” Kubo glared at his grandfather as tears began falling down his face. He felt as if his heart was shattering; as if he was already dead._

Norman quickly awoke as Kubo tossed and turned, trying to wake Kubo up, calm him down. He was afraid, and not entirely sure of what to do. He began shaking him. “Kubo! Kubo, wake up! It’s just a nightmare, you’re okay!”

His words were barely registering to the other boy as he continued to thrash about. Now, he had a source for his torment.

_“Did I? Hm. Guess I lied.” He shrugged as he continued closer. “Trust me on this. It’s better to have no distractions. It will make you stronger.” Just as the Moon King came within reach, Kubo saw his chance._

Swinging his arm to hit his grandfather in the face, he woke up when he felt his hand actually connect with something. He looked up and over, stunned and horrified to see Norman sitting up beside him, holding his jaw. Kubo quickly sat up, scurrying to move away from Norman. He felt his back hit the wall as he stared at the other boy, terror and dread swirling around in the pit of his stomach. “I-I hit you. Oh my- _I hit you_!”

“It’s okay! I’m fine!” His jaw was throbbing in pain, but he wasn’t focused on that at the moment. He just wanted Kubo to stop staring at him like that. “I just need to put some ice on it, but I'll be fine, really.”

“G-go put ice on it now! Before it swells, or bruises or something!”

Norman sighed as he climbed out of bed and left the room. He returned a few minutes later, ice pack pressed against his jaw, to see Kubo still against the wall, huddled against it with his knees to his chest. Sitting down on the edge of his bed, he flicked his eyes up to meet the other’s gaze. “See? I'll be alright.”

“I can’t believe I hit you. I claim to love you, then I hit you? Who does that!?” He began gently rocking in place, disgusted with himself.

“It was an accident! You were asleep. I know you still love me. You wouldn’t hit me like that if you were awake and fully yourself.”

A few tears slipped out as Kubo shook his head. Norman was too nice, too forgiving. “I don’t deserve your understanding! I don't deserve your forgiveness. I hit you! I put you in physical pain! I let you die!”

“Die?” He looked over himself. “Uh…” Shaking his head, he decided to let it go. Kubo was probably still just mixed up from his nightmare. Norman moved to sit more fully on the bed, facing Kubo. He gently reached up with his free hand to wipe some of his tears away. “You are deserving of both of those things. What was it you said the other day? We all have our little quirks?”

Kubo stared at him like he had gone mad. “Hitting you is not what I would call ‘a little quirk.’”

“You were having a nightmare! You didn’t mean to hit me!” Sometimes, Kubo could be so stubborn, it drove him crazy. “The point is, I have problems. You have problems. But at the end of the day, you still love me and I still love you so let’s just-" He froze, playing back the words that just fell from his mouth. He wanted to hit himself. Of course he just blurted it out in the middle of his rambling. Of course.

Kubo froze as well, but was also the first to recover, sadness and frustration taking him over. “How? How could you love someone as broken as me? Because let’s face it, Norman. I'm _broken_. My grandfather wants to kill me, took my eye when I was a baby, all because he didn’t like who my mother married. Which by extension, meant he doesn’t like me. Oh, and speaking of my mother, he sort of fucked her up too because he was angry at her. So yeah, I’m broken, Norman. Absolutely, completely, and utterly broken with an all around fucked up life!” He panted as he worked to get his breathing back under control after his tirade.

Norman gaped at him with astonishment. He didn’t know any of that. That’s what Kubo has been dealing with all his life? His features shifted into one of determination as he observed the other boy. “I don’t care if you're broken.”

“...What?”

“I don’t care. It doesn’t change the fact that I love you. Obviously, I’m messed up too.” He had a harder time swearing then Kubo, which made him feel a bit childish given the current situation, but he marched forward anyway. “I couldn’t say I love you back because I was worried once I said it, you would be gone. I've had to deal with this ability to see ghosts ever since I was younger, automatically making me an outcast, even in my own family. I may not have problems as big, or as bad as yours. But you aren’t the only broken one in this relationship.” Swallowing down his nerves, he locked eyes with Kubo. “My only hope is that we can be broken together.”

Kubo blinked back at him as the tension slowly left his body. Norman still loved him? That couldn’t be right. He was too emotionally shattered. Who would want to love that? Who would put up with that? Apparently Norman, who was still staring at him with conviction. Slowly, he began uncurling from his huddled position, shifting so that he could take over holding the ice pack. As he gazed into Norman’s eyes, moonlight gleaming in his eyes, he let out a breathless, “Okay.”

Norman’s face lit up as he pulled him into a hug. “I love you.” Giddy with finally being able to say it, he turned his head to press a kiss to Kubo’s temple.

“I love you, too,” he whispered back as he wrapped both arms around Norman, nuzzling his neck. He quickly pulled away though as he heard Norman’s groan of pain. He gave him a sheepish smile. “Sorry! Got wrapped up in the moment there. And I'm still sorry for hitting you.” He quickly pressed the ice pack back to Norman’s jaw.

“And I already forgave you, so stop apologizing.” He playfully rolled his eyes before pressing a kiss to the tip of Kubo’s nose.

Kubo grinned back at him before leaning in to give him a proper kiss, mindful of his jaw this time. As they spent the rest of the night with soft whispers and kisses spilling between them, Kubo didn’t think he could ever be more in love.


End file.
